1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a short use or disposable protective system for ready use for adaptive medical x-ray imaging. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for enabling short use readily adapted pouch-based garments with removable and reusable shielding to enable various imagery positions in a window-capable format.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring now to FIG. 1, the related art involves a multiplayer lead-containing sheet 105 that is draped over a user's body during X-ray radiation imagery to restrict the passage of X-rays (or other high-energy electromagnetic waves) to unintended portions of the body.
Sheets 105 contain an outer nylon layer on each side 102, 202 bounding one or more flexible lead-containing thin sheets 100, and bound at a perimetral location by a binding 103. Nylon outer layers 102, 102 are commonly woven and impregnated with a water-proof or fluid-resistant coating so that when sheets 105 are washed between uses, the water or sterilizing fluid employed does not penetrate the multi-layer lead sheet construction and build-up there within to the detriment of the assembly.
The thin sheets 100 of lead and the use of multiple layers allows sheet 105 to be somewhat flexible and they can slide slightly relative to each other, allowing some relative movement between sheets despite the edge binding 103, but overall the item itself is heavy and awkward to use and difficult to position, particularly in larger sizes, in emergency-treatment-type situations, or during transportation circumstances, and generally wherever an individual is injured and unable to be conveniently covered.
This type of construction provides several detriments to user safety, including the relative inflexibility that leads to coverage gaps in the X-ray protection, and difficulty in cleaning between uses that may result in biological contamination or transfer between users.
A similar detriment to the present constructions is the difficulty in positioning the conventional shield 105 on children or adults with non-standard body types or physical disabilities (deformities, sever injuries, obesity, immobility, pregnancy, tiny-size (infants) etc.). This form of detriment is even more critical when using X-rays to image a patient's most radiation sensitive regions close to or including a spine, skull, chest, hips, thyroid, glands, brain, organs, eyes or other regions that contain X-ray sensitive soft-tissue items.
In a related note, one of the difficulties in properly shielding patients from high energy imaging X-rays is the backscatter or bounce-back effect. This effect is best understood with the following example. A patient is positioned on a metal support surface (a conventional X-ray imaging table), and a heavy conventional shield is draped over (for example) their chest region. The imagery goal in this example is to produce an X-ray image of a left hip joint so that the conventional shield crosses the patient's pelvis at an angle to the spine exposing the left hip joint and just covering the right hip joint and one hopes the user's radiation-sensitive reproductive organs. The film is positioned below the user's pelvis at an angle.
Upon the delivery of X-ray energy to the left hip joint region, the film is exposed but the patient actually receives a greater dose of X-ray energy then the film since a portion of the energy is either blocked by the patient's flesh and bone, reflected from the support surface back into the soft tissue (a “double-hit”) causing additional harm and what will be referred to as low-dose X-ray exposure even in the regions visually blocked by the conventional shielding.
As an additional detriment, this form of low-dose X-ray exposure may be of little importance in one-time exposure for an adult past child bearing years but may have a material and detrimental impact upon a growing child, a pregnant women, or a adult of reproductive years; particularly where that user requires repeated exposure—for example during multiple corrective spinal treatments, during cancer treatments, or during treatment for a skeletal deformity. In sum, the medical profession has not appreciated the need to both compartmentalize and to minimize this low-dose exposure and has yet provide a flexible system that will work for all patients and is adaptable to surgical and medical requirements.
In a similar concern, certain forms of X-ray or other electromagnetic-wave imagery may require higher-than-normal levels of exposure for a patient in order to generate film clarity. This type of situation is often required where a patient has received facial injury or soft-tissue injury and a higher radiation dosage is required to illuminate the soft-tissue differences. In such circumstances, a physician may require a higher form of radiation that requires a corresponding increase in patient protection.
Similarly, as introduced above, emergency medical care is seldom neat and clean for all its life-saving result. This is particularly true in high-volume hospital emergency room environments or in, military treatment or battle-close environments where rapid diagnosis is critical, wounds are massive, bodily fluids are on all surfaces, and treatment professionals are repeatedly exposed. In these types of high-activity environments, X-ray imagery is often provided with minimalist efforts of protection (to either the patient or the staff for good medical reasons or needs involving swiftness of diagnosis) and priority is given to diagnosis not ultimately cleanliness (also for good medical reasons). Unfortunately, both situations often result in the re-use of biologically contaminated conventional shields and undue-amounts of damaging radiation.
Some single-use protective shields have been suggested in the art. For example, Servant (U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,182) provides a belt-on shield to protect a user from diverse-in-line radiation. As disclosed, the belt-on shield is a layer effective to attenuate energy to the gonadal region of a user (disclosed as an X-ray operation technician). Servant responds solely to the needs of a user receiving direct radiation from a front-wise direction and obviously fails to recognize the need to protect the testis of a male user from non-direct radiation or either hip-joint and the soft tissue therein. Similarly, Servant fails to supply any form of protective and disposable cover, or the need to secure the shield to the patient other than by gravity via the belt support.
Also illustrative of the earlier failures in the art is Greenwood (U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,053) that includes a form of elastomeric girdle worn by female X-ray technicians and including a pocket for receiving a flat rigid plate member so that users may continually operate in a somewhat protective manner throughout the work cycle so as to minimize unintended X-ray (or gamma-ray) radiation exposure.
What is not appreciated by the prior art is the need for a disposable shield cover to minimize biological contamination between patients and to enhance flexibility of use. The related art also fails to appreciate the need for a pre-packaged kit containing specific shielding items responsive to a particular medical need, wherein such a kit may be prepared and transported in a clean and a pre-packaged manner to minimize contamination. Also related is the need for a disposable and protective supporting garment that may readily accept previously-used radiative shielding and position it effectively to both shield a patient and prevent biological contamination between prior, present, and future users.
What is also not appreciated by the prior art is the need for a shielding system that is readily customizable to emergency or military-type care or to greatly differing body styles.
The related art has also failed to appreciate the detrimental impact of high-energy scattered radiation on patients and the need for shielding that is responsive to particularized imaging scenarios; for example shields specific to a bikini/brief need, an ovary/uterine need, a ½ chest need, a thyroid protection need, a particular spine or head protective need, a minor child protective need, and those who are obese or who are unable to assume common imagery body positions as a result of injury or physical detriment or deformity.
The related art similarly fails to appreciate the benefit of shield layering for increased movement or the need to protect patients from back-scattered or reflected radiation off a patient support surface.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved disposable system and method for adaptive radiation protection that appreciates at least one of the challenges noted above.